Arena: Up-and-coming politicos

Members of The Arena — a daily debate among policymakers and opinion shapers at POLITICO.com — sound off about their favorite up-and-coming politicos.

Sherrilyn Ifill, professor, University of Maryland

“Although new NAACP President Benjamin Jealous has received a lot of attention over the past eight months, expect to see over the next year the rise of a new civil rights star: Roslyn Brock. She’s the vice chairman of the NAACP board and a health care expert. At age 35, Brock was the youngest person in the history of the organization to be elected vice chair of the board — and unanimously (a real feat, given the legendary bloated and fractious NAACP board). She’s the director of public policy at Bon Secours Health Systems in Baltimore and has worked for years on public health policy. She’s successfully pushed the nation’s oldest civil rights organization to take on health care as a civil rights issue. As Obama’s health care proposal gains center stage over the next year, expect Roslyn Brock to become a key player and central spokesperson for minority groups on this issue. She’s young, she’s female, and she’s the kind of dynamic speaker and engaged policy wonk that is part of the re-imaging of civil rights lea dership.”

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Jeanne Allen, president, Center for Education Reform

“As Obama adviser, he spoke out when other voices embraced failed policies. He says traditional civil rights activists are dead wrong on school choice, which he knows transforms education, particularly for children of color. With a national following, this black leader from D.C. — who as City Council leader gave us the strongest charter law and vouchers — is an icon for some and a thorn to unions and other system defenders. Chairman of Democrats for Education Reform and director at my group, which eschews the status quo, Kevin P. Chavous dares to challenge Obama when most want a prolonged honeymoon. He sees no room for error when it comes to kids and is the hottest up-and-coming Democratic politico around.”

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, professor, Princeton University

“1. The writers of the smart, timely blog Jack and Jill Politics (jackandjillpolitics.com), led by Cheryl Contee and Baratunde Thurston, have created a must-visit site for a new generation of black voters; 2. political comedian and commentator Elon James White of This Week in Blackness (thisweekinblackness.com) has a growing following both at TWiB and at HuffPost and is the perfect comedian for the Obama era, talking race while exploding racial stereotypes; and 3. Atlantic Monthly writer Ta-Nehisi Coates (ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com) is absolutely one of the most insightful African-American voices in the public arena.”

James Carafano, The Heritage Foundation, Defense and Homeland Security

“Michael Chertoff. Wait — he’s not in government anymore! Doesn’t matter. He survived Katrina. He turned a circus into a real department. He won respect on both sides of the aisle, and he still cares about homeland security and keeping terrorists from killing us. Now he heads the Chertoff Group, where I suppose he’ll make money and dispense wisdom. Most likely, he’ll be called into service on national commissions and his counsel will be sought by U.S. officials and governments around the world. No ego, selfless servant, brilliant. He’ll wind up being this century’s Brent Scowcroft.”